DALY CITY — The Bay Area’s latest arena football team put up big numbers on the field in its inaugural game. Now comes the real test: Can it put up numbers in the seats?

The San Jose Wolves of the American Indoor Football Association started their franchise off with a 64-12 victory over the Arctic Predators on Saturday Night at the Cow Palace.

An announced crowd of 2,100 littered the arena for the Wolves’ inaugural game as one of the world’s largest body-art conventions took place next door and March Madness was in full swing at HP Pavilion.

“I’m happy with the performance,” Wolves coach and general manager Bennie King said.

“Turnout,” he said, “was decent.”

The Wolves joined the AIFA this year, trying to fill a void left by the San Jose SaberCats when the Arena Football League went bankrupt after the 2008 season.

“In the Bay, they like winners and they know their football,” Wolves quarterback Omar Jacobs said.

Jacobs, one of two former NFL players on the Wolves, threw for five touchdowns. He had brief stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs but was cut by all three teams without seeing regular-season play. He hopes this will be his avenue back to the NFL.

San Jose took the field in black and orange jerseys, flanked by rows of Harley Davidsons and enveloped in smoke and lights. The Wolves are trying to fit together the right pieces for success. They hired former SaberCats receiver Steve Papin as their offensive coordinator and field other former SaberCats and San Jose State players. King has championships as general manager of two other AIFA teams.

The Wolves are still settling in. Their home venue is a 45-minute drive from San Jose, and they practiced just eight times and played just one preseason game. The Wolves couldn’t get home games at HP Pavilion because of costs and scheduling conflicts. They will travel a lot by bus this season.

“That’s part of football,” Jacobs said. “You’ve got to be humble with your experience. You’ve got to know where you’re at. This is the AIFA.”

The Wolves’ lack of time together showed, with 11 penalties for 89 yards in the first half. But they also gave the crowd lots of scoring and the loud show that can be expected from arena football.

Owner Ryan Petersen, who owns Bay Area Company OCZ Technology, said he has sunk $1 million into startup costs. He hopes to move the team into the AFL.

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